Major advances have been made in the control of dental caries and gum disease. For example, a recent National Institute of Health, (NIH) survey reported that over 50% of all U.S. school children have no cavities. The concern over caries has been replaced by the concern for gum disease. Recently, various plaque fighting and tartar control oral care products have been successfully marketed in the U.S. The emergence of these products and their sales success confirm the increased awareness of plaque, gingivitis and gum disease among adults. This increased awareness and concern over plaque, gum disease and oral care in general is now carrying over to the care of baby teeth and gums, by those parents who are aware of gum disease.
Historically, the care of baby teeth was not a major concern of parents. Pediatric dental care usually started in the home about the time a youngster could brush his or her teeth and expectorate. This usually occurred about the time the full set of baby teeth were developed, usually between the ages of 2 and 3.
The NIH has sought to raise the awareness level among parents of the need to start caring for their baby's teeth and gums prior to teething and up through the time the child itself can effectively control the plaque formation on their teeth by regular brushing. In their pamphlet, A Healthy Mouth For You and Your Baby, the NIH states:
"Clean your baby's teeth. Baby teeth collect plaque just like adult teeth and need to be cleaned too, to prevent decay and gum disease. Usually the baby's first teeth are the two lower front ones, followed by the two upper front ones. As soon as the first tooth appears, simply wipe it with a clean washcloth or gauze pad. As more teeth appear, brush them with a soft brush gently and carefully every day. PA1 By the time the baby is two and a half years old, all the baby teeth will probably be in the mouth. PA1 About this time, children can begin using their own soft toothbrush with a very small amount of fluoride toothpaste (no more than the size of a pea) but because your children cannot remove plaque, you should continue to brush your child's teeth until about the age of seven."
In his publication "Early Intervention: Prenatal and Postnatal Counseling and Infant Dental Care", Arthur Nowak suggests: "The parent should be responsible for cleaning the infant and young child's teeth, until the time when the child can do it by himself." The author continues: "In order to clean the newly erupting teeth of the very young infant, the parent can wrap gauze around the finger, then rub the gum pads and the teeth. As more teeth erupt into the mouth, the parent should use a small, soft bristled brush."
Most pediatricians agree: A dentifrice should not be employed until the child and the parent have developed a cleaning routine and are comfortable with it, particularly expectorating. It is generally accepted that: Early use of an adult dentifrice can cause a negative reaction in some young children because of foaming action and flavor. Note: the foaming action of the dentifrice not only causes gagging but also decreases visibility in the child's mouth.
Most pediatricians today recommend that even before the baby teeth have erupted, the parent should select a time during the day when the infant's mouth can be inspected and a gauze wrapped finger inserted to clean the gums. This kind of early involvement will accustom the child to the cleaning process that is necessary for good infant oral hygiene.
Historically, teething was defined as the "eruption" or "cutting" of the teeth. Today, most researchers agree that this eruption of teeth is not a cutting process, and therefore should not be painful to the infant nor should it be responsible for the symptoms historically associated with teething i.e., increase in irritability, loss of appetite, change in bowel habits, wakefulness, some rash, fever, dribbling and drooling. All of these symptoms, historically associated with teething, can be attributed to other factors and thus, may not be caused by teething, per se.
It has been suggested by some pediatric dentists that the discomfort associated with teething can be minimized and in some cases prevented if the parent will begin cleaning baby's gums when teeth first appear under the surface as bumps. For example, Stephen Moss DDS, MS, New York University professor and past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry suggests: "Cleaning the gums helps, because plaque--an accumulation of sticky micro-organisms in the mouth--can be an irritant to baby when it builds up on gums pads. Remove the plaque, and you remove a major cause of teething pain. Begin cleaning baby's gums once you see teeth growing under the gums, usually around six to ten months."
Heretofore, the irritated gums of babies observed during teething have been traditionally treated with various surface analgesic products such as benzocaine containing substances that are rubbed onto the gums for the purpose of imparting temporary relief in the form of a "numbing" action. These products do not clean the gums, nor do they disrupt formation of the plaque-like coating on the soft tissue. Moreover, many young mothers express concern over their baby ingesting a drug such as benzocaine. Additionally, the relief obtained with these products is only temporary, less than an hour and more typically about 30 minutes, and the child appears to continue to be in pain generally exhibiting symptoms of discomfort and irritability. Numerous home remedies have been reported for relief of teething discomfort and include rubbing "wine" and/or paragoric on the gums and around the teeth, during "fussy" periods.
There is some concern that the amount of finger pressure required to effectively remove the plaque-like buildup from a baby's gums with a gauze can often times be troublesome to the baby. Moreover, it is difficult to thoroughly clean all the "bumps and valleys" in the infants gums that are encountered just prior to tooth eruption with a gauze alone. Generally, this type of cleaning is perceived as an unpleasant experience for the baby as well as by the parent doing the cleaning.
Dr. Walter Loesche, in his chapter "Decline in S. mutans Associated Caries Secondary to Medical Usage of Antibiotics", in Molecular Microbiology and Immunology of S. mutans, 1986, S. Hamada et.al.; presented convincing evidence that reducing the microbial count during teeth eruption is important. The author suggests, the emerging teeth and tissues are far more vulnerable to colonization by the organisms most frequently cited for tooth decay. General oral cleanliness including frequent removal of food residuals and reduction of the total bacterial count in the mouth by frequent cleaning of the soft tissues and the emerging teeth would be an effective non-antibiotic means of controlling colonization by these organisms.
The literature further has established that:
1. S. mutans, plaque formers, are found in all samples of microflora obtained from babies with erupted teeth.
2. S. mutans are generally associated with primary infection.
3. Removal of the plaque-like film reduces teething pain.
4. Cleaning the gum pads help the first teeth arrive in a clean plaque-free environment and reduces teething pain.
5. With less acid in the infants mouth (produced by S. mutans) the infant will have an easier time teething.
The gums of endentulous persons, similar to babies, also require regular cleaning and massaging for optimum health, sense of well being and prosthesis comfort.
24% of Americans 65 and older have lost all their teeth. The number of endentulous patients seeking initial treatment in the year 2000 is projected at 10.4 million Americans compared to 9.0 million in 1980, thus, in spite of improved oral care, endentulism continues to increase.
There is a need for endentulous subjects to massage their gums regularly. According to Dr. Cali in his book, The New Lower-Cost Way to End Gum Trouble without Surgery, 1982, i.e., "The gums, like muscles, benefit from a massage. They need to be exercised, toughened and ensured a good blood supply". "Good circulation, the continued replacement of exhausted blood and nutrients with fresh blood and nutrients, prevents disease more effectively than any drug."
Dr. N. T. Nguyen in his text Your Mouth, Oral Care for All Ages. 1979, states: "Proper hygiene is absolutely essential for maintaining healthy gums in denture wearers. Twice a day remove the dentures and massage the gum tissue with a soft brush or a wash cloth moistened in water. This massage will stimulate the circulation and maintain the health of gums."
There is therefore a definite need in the art for a product such as an oral hygiene gel suitable for cleaning, massaging and conditioning the gums of babies and endentulous persons.
In view of the foregoing it is an object of this invention to provide oral hygiene gels for the cleaning, massaging and conditioning of gums.
It is also an object of this invention to provide oral hygiene gels suitable for cleaning, massaging and conditioning the gums of babies and endentulous persons, including those adults with some natural teeth remaining.
It is a further object of the invention to provide improved methods for cleaning, massaging and conditioning gums of babies and endentulous persons.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide methods for relieving the discomfort normally associated with teething as well as the discomforts of the gums experienced by endentulous persons.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved method of manufacturing the oral hygiene gels of the invention.